Unfortunately, the lack of a lagoon or protected anchorage
presents very serious problems to the inhabitants of Kili.
The
unfavorable axis of the island (063-240°) in relation to the
prevailing nortneast trade winds and the shelving comparatively
narrow reef,
are factors which cause the island to be isolated
during many months of the year.
the equatorial
prevail.
able.
From December through March
front lies to the south,
and northeasterly winds
Landing conditions are therefore generally unfavor-
From November into late March it is possible to get a
boat ashore only during a few very brief periods, because of
the large breakers which crash against the rocky beaches.
cannot be loaded and trade goods cannot be off-loaded.
Copra
These
unfavorable surf conditions naturally prevent utilization of
the important marine resources, which at best are infinitely
poorer tnan those of the atoll
of Bikini.
The Resettlement on Kili
The ex-Bikini people apparently experienced difficulty in
adjusting to Kili from almost
the very beginning.
in part to the different ecological conditions.
This was due
The
change
from an atoll existance where marine resources were abundant
and the lagoon and land areas stretched away as far as the eye
could
see,
to a
small,
isolated island without a lagoon,
and
without the rich marine resources which are found in an atoll
environment,
Kili
was drastic.
was and has continued
of adjustment.
1013948
The refusal
This psychological attitude toward
to be a vital
importance
in the lack
to accept the move to Kili as final